25. Chapter Twenty-Five
When my eyes lock onto my phone and I see the number scrawled across the screen, I swipe my thumb and shove the phone up to my ear.
“Are you ok?” I ask as soon as I hear the rumble of an engine through the phone.
“Yeah, Pretty Girl, I’m okay. I’m so sorry I haven’t answered your calls and texts, I was busy for a lot longer than I originally thought I would be.”
The sound of Ryker’s raspy voice instantly relaxes my muscles, and relief washes over me. Brad takes a step towards me and places his hand on my arm, squeezing it softly.
“I’m just glad you’re okay. I was worried.”
“Well, no need to be worried,” he replies, sounding slightly nervous. “I want to see you soon, is tomorrow good?”
“I’d love to see you, but at the moment, I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’m trying to keep my distance from everyone. The twins are, too.” It saddens me, but it’s the truth; Derek most likely knows who Brad, Nate, and Kat are already. I don’t want him to know Ryker’s back in town. I don’t want to cause any of them harm. Now that I know more of what my father is capable of, it terrifies me that I could cause these people pain and suffering.
He releases a heavy sigh. “Okay. We’ll talk about this soon, though, because that’s now got me worried.”
“There’s no need to worry. I have this handled. We’ll definitely talk soon. I have a lot to tell you.”
“Yeah, same here. Be safe for me please.”
“ I will.” The line goes silent for a few beats, and I look up from my feet, eyes connecting with Brad”s as I wait for Ryker’s voice to filter through the phone again.
“I love you, Pretty Girl.” A smile spreads across my face and my stomach dips.
Hearing those words come out of his mouth again feels so good.
“I love you, too.”
The call ends and I slide my phone down from my ear until it rests against my shoulder.
“I have got to meet this Ryker guy properly. I need him to teach me how to make you smile like that.” I giggle and lightly slap his chest as I lean into him. His arms wrap around me, and we stand there cuddling with each other for a few moments.
“Thank you. I needed this today,” I utter, my face pressed against his chest.
“I’m glad I was able to help for a little while.”
“You can just drop me off here, don’t drive all the way.” Brad looks over at me shortly, a worried look on his face. He pulls over on the side of the road, halfway down my street.
“I don’t feel good about this, Callie.”
“It’s fine. The twins will be home in about half an hour and I doubt my dad’s even home. I promise I’ll be fine,” I tell him, leaning across the centre console to kiss his cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I grab my bag and hurriedly hop out of the car so that he can’t say anything else. We decided to leave the lake because it started getting chilly and I’d told Brad to drop me home. He wanted to drop me back at college so that I could come home with the twins but I didn’t see the point when their last class was finishing soon.
Now, as I walk up the street by myself, a sense of trepidation fills me. I shove my hands in my front pockets and continue my hobbling. When my house comes into view, I see Paul standing on the front porch.
I continue walking towards the front door despite the anxiety that’s now swarming through my body. I take a deep breath, trying to centre myself. The cool metal of Ryker’s knife brushes against the underside of my boob, hidden and easily accessible if I need it.
As I reach the top of the driveway and climb the first step, Paul moves and opens the door for me. I halt my movements and stare at him in bewilderment.
“You need to go inside, Calliope.” I shake my head from side to side and take a few steps back.
“No, I’ll wait for Connor and Callum.” I turn, planning to run down the driveway, but as soon as I take another step, I hear a thump behind me from Paul jumping down the steps. Paul lunges at me, wrapping his arms around my middle and lifting me from the floor. I drop my bag and start punching and kicking him.
“Let me go!” I shout, hoping someone will hear me.
I wouldn’t usually react like this, but after recent events, I’m tired of putting up with everything they’re throwing at me. Colin has assured me that my mother is safe and I’m choosing to trust him right now. I’m done with lying down and letting these arseholes walk all over me.
I manage to smack my elbow into his face and he groans, his grip loosening on me. I try to slip out of his arms but he grabs a hold of my ponytail, yanking me towards him.
“You stupid whore!”
I continue trying to fight him off as he pushes me toward the open door. Once he manages to get me through the threshold, he slams the door closed behind me and pushes me forward until I topple over, hitting the ground.
I lift myself, trying to stand up, and he kicks me, sending me crashing back down. My jaw hits the marble flooring and I’m certain I hear it crack from the force. He pushes his foot into the centre of my back, pinning me to the floor.
“Derek!” he shouts, his voice echoing through the house. “I’ve got the little slut.”
I hear two sets of footsteps and I feel my hands slicken with sweat.
Fuck. What have I done?
What was I thinking fighting back like that? How stupid could I be?
As the footsteps draw closer, I rest my head on the cool marble and close my eyes.
I’m going to be fine. Connor and Callum will be home soon. I”ll be fine.
My father”s snarl breaks through my reassurances to myself. “Calliope, get up!”
Paul removes his foot, and I reluctantly push myself up. As soon as I’m on my feet, my father’s fist connects with my face, sending me back to the floor. His foot is next, slamming into my ribcage so hard I’m surprised they don’t crack. A pained grunt escapes me.
“Get up!” he orders. I ignore him for a beat, trying to breathe through the pulsing pain. I push myself up again, this time my eyes connected with his and I openly glare at him, hoping he feels my hatred. He glares back, disgust emanating from him.
“You’re just like your mother, a harlot!” he growls, aiming another punch at my face. I step back, avoiding his fist.
Although I’m shaking from fear, I have an angry fire burning inside of me. “Don’t you dare speak ill of my mother,” I spit.
He charges towards me. I step back, retreating from his fury, but I clash with another body. I jump, and Cameron’s maniacal laughter fills my ears as he links his arms through mine, pulling them behind my back and incapacitating me.
My father reaches for me, so I kick at him, keeping him at a distance. After I land a few blows, he steps back and stops trying to get at me.
“Fine, if this is how you want to be, I’ll call Fraser, give him a freebie,” he drawls. My spine goes ramrod straight and my aching jaw clamps shut.
“No, please!” I shake my head frantically. “No, no, no!”
Cameron yanks on my arms and I scream from the immense pain. “Shut up!” he shouts, then turns to Dad. “I’ll put her downstairs until he gets here.”
My father nods and walks away, ignoring my pleading as Cameron hauls me against him and proceeds to drag me towards the hatch in the kitchen. I thrash around, causing myself discomfort as my arms feel like they’re being pulled out of the sockets. I try to kick him, but my efforts are useless.
Paul walks past him and opens up the hatch.
“Cameron, please, no,” I beg, hoping for some sort of mercy.
“Break a leg,” he whispers, shoving me forward. My stomach rolls and a piercing scream leaves my throat as I fall through the hole. I stretch my arms out, trying to grab hold of the ladder or anything else before I hit the ground.
My fingers catch on one of the metal poles and I latch onto it, but my hands are sweaty, so my hold slips, and my back and my legs crash down against the solid floor of the basement.
Fuck. That hurt like a bitch.
I lay there and watch the hatch close, listening to Cameron and Paul laughing. I don’t move, knowing I’d likely cause myself more pain. It wasn’t a high drop, maybe six feet, but it still hurt. Especially with my face already swelling and my ribs possibly fractured.
I close my eyes, embracing the darkness and letting the pain wash over me as I try and listen to the conversation going on upstairs. I can only hear bits and pieces at the moment, but each word that comes out of my father”s mouth becomes clearer and clearer as his voice gets louder and louder.
“What do you mean it’s been days?” My father roars. Even though I’m locked in the basement, I cringe at his tone of voice. I hear Paul saying something else, his voice too quiet for me to decipher down in this concrete hell.
“Fuck! He’s not answering.” This piques my interest. I lift myself to a sitting position, ignoring the throbbing pain that’s pulsing through my body with every movement.
I hear a crash upstairs as if something was thrown against a wall and then my father starts cursing along with many more bangs and smashes.
I shuffle over and brush my hands along the wall until I feel the ladder and heave myself up two of the metal rungs to get closer to the hatch so that I can hear what’s going on upstairs.
“He wouldn’t go to the police. He’d incriminate himself.” Cameron’s words have my brows furrowing in confusion and I push myself further up the ladder, now resting half my body on the metal poles.
“He’s a coward. Always has been. He’d make a deal and throw us all under the bus!” My father shouts. “Pack a bag, message everyone, and tell them to pack up as much stock as they possibly can. If that little rat has snitched on us, then we need to leave and lay low for a little while.”
My arms are shaking from holding myself up, so I let go of the ladder and let myself slip back down to the floor.
Are they talking about Fraser?
Has Colin managed to get some form of evidence and arrested him?
I need to know what’s going on.
I can’t hear any more voices upstairs and I don’t know whether to feel relieved or worried about that. Either they’ve moved out of the kitchen, or they’ve left the house completely. I lean against the wall, wincing due to my aching, painful limbs. All I can do now is wait until Callum and Connor get home. Once they see the round weights loaded on top of the hatch, they’ll know I’m down here, and hopefully, they can get me out without jostling my ribs and legs.
“Callie!” Callum’s worried voice cuts through the daze that I”m in.
“I’m down here!” I call out, lifting myself to stand. I hear scraping as the weights are lifted and then the hatch is pulled open and the brightness assaults my vision, making me squint.
Connor clambers down the ladder and gently cups my face between his rough hands. He brushes a thumb across my cheek, and I hiss, pulling away from him.
“Shit, Little C. What did they do?”
“Just the usual. My ribs are fucked, and back is killing me, help me up?” He nods, scanning my bruised and swollen face again before carefully helping me up the ladder. Callum helps lift me when the top half of my body is out of the hatch. I groan and whimper until I’m sat on the floor of the kitchen.
“You know where they went?” Connor asks, climbing out of the basement. I shake my head,
“Not sure, I heard them talking though. Dad’s paranoid and I’m pretty sure they’ve left, gone to lay low or some shit. I think that Fraser might’ve been arrested,” I tell him. Callum comes hurrying over to my side with a glass of water and some pills.
Connor’s brow crinkles and he pulls his phone out before stalking off to another room.
“I’m gonna get you some ice. Your face looks really bad.”
“Wow, thanks, Cal. You know how to make me feel good about myself,” I joke. He rolls his eyes and pushes himself up. I smile, despite it hurting. As much as my brothers annoy me, I’m glad I have them. I don’t think I would’ve survived this long without them; they’ve been my protectors for years, and they’ve each taken care of me and kept me strong. I’ll forever be thankful for them.
Connor’s footsteps pound against the marble floors as he rushes back into the kitchen.
“They’ve gone completely. Most of Dad’s and Cameron’s things are gone, no one is in the outhouse around back and no one’s watching the property or answering their phones,” he says.
“Seriously? No one’s here?” I ask, disbelief clear in my tone. He nods his head.
“What if he’s going after Mum?” My gaze falls on Callum as he stands by the freezer with an ice pack in hand and an uneasy expression.
I shake my head at him. “No, he can’t. She’s safe.” I look between the twins but I can tell that neither of them are hopeful. “Get me my phone, I’ll call Nate. One of you should call Uncle Johnny and see if he knows anything about what’s going on.”
Connor retrieves my phone for me and Callum sits beside me, holding the ice pack against my swelling cheek. I find Nate’s name in my phone and dial his number, putting it on speaker. He answers after the second ring.
“Hey, Princess. Everything okay?”
“Is your Dad still home? Has he left to check on my Mum yet?” I ask.
“No, he’s still here. He’s planning on leaving tonight. I was actually about to text you to ask if you have a letter for her.”
“Yeah I do. Uh, can I talk to your Dad, please?”
He’s silent for a moment before he agrees. I wait with bated breath until I hear rustling and then Colin’s voice meets my ears.
“Calliope, what’s wrong?” The use of my full name makes me cringe, but I don’t bother correcting him.
“My Dad’s left, so has Cameron and everyone else. They think you’ve arrested Fraser, so they’ve fled and plan to lay low. I need to know that my Mum’s safe and that she and Crystal are okay in case he tries to find them,” I rush out, panic now leaking into my words.
“Okay, firstly, your Mum and Crystal are fine. She has two of my most trusted officers watching her at all times and I will be there tonight. However, we may move her again just as a precaution after what you’ve just told me.” His words fill me with relief.
“One thing I’m not understanding, though, is why he fled. We don’t have Fraser in custody. We weren’t even looking into him for anything.”
“What?” My eyes dart over to Connor as he stands in the doorway, still trying to get through to Uncle Johnny. “If you don’t have him, then where is he? I heard them saying they haven’t heard from him in days and then they assumed he’s ratting them out.”
“I don’t have an answer for that, unfortunately. I promise to look into it though.”
“Yeah, thank you, Colin. I have a letter for my Mum, how do I get it to you before you leave?”
“I’ll pick it up on my way out of town and no doubt my children will be tailing me to your house. They’re all rather worried at the moment.” My heart warms with that piece of information. I thank him again before ending the call and then send a quick text to the group chat to put everyone’s minds at ease.
“Johnny’s not answering,” Connor says, putting his phone down on the kitchen island and huffing. “What do we do now?”
I shrug in response because I honestly have no idea. If Derek and Cameron have really disappeared to go and lay low, then would that mean for all of us?
I pick my phone back up and scroll to Johnny’s number.
“There’s no point trying, Callie. He’s clearly busy,” Callum says softly as we listen to the phone ring.
When I think the call’s about to go to the answerphone, it connects.
“What the fuck?” Connor shouts. Johnny laughs through the phone and makes some sort of joke about answering because I’m his favourite.
“Uncle Johnny, I think you need to come round.” His chuckle stops and the line goes quiet.
“Callie, honey, I can’t. You know I won’t be allowed in.” He sounds regretful, and it’s sweet, but he doesn’t understand.
“No, Johnny. You need to come here now. Fraser is missing, Dad’s gone, and everyone’s left.”
The call ends abruptly, leaving us all in silence as we stare at the blank screen. Typical Uncle Johnny.
“I hate that guy sometimes,” Connor grumbles, striding over to the small table in the corner and slumping down into the chair.